IMAGE Business Woman of the Year 2015 Judges Lunch

School of Rock – Why Coloured Diamonds Are Forever

April’s birthstone is also a girl’s best friend. This season, diamonds are getting a coloured update for your sartorial pleasure.

This ‘Palace’ necklace comprises nearly 250 diamonds of various cuts, colours and sizes, including pear shaped diamonds weighing nearly 40 carats and yellow diamonds of over six carats.

How do you like your diamonds? “Adorning every limb,” I usually cry. That’s a lie. Nobody ever asks me how I like my diamonds. More’s the pity. Despite this gross oversight, I still know that when it comes to precious gems, as with many things in life, it’s about quality, not quantity. Last week, I found myself across the water paying a visit to Boodles’ new Mayfair apartment on Albmarle Street, a newly acquired property at the back of the jewellery brand’s Bond Street store. The beautifully refurbished space provided a fitting backdrop for the brand’s newest collection of coloured gems. A table of pastel-coloured jewels was enough to make a girl swoon (and many did). “Because coloured diamonds are so rare and special, we wanted to create a collection where the stones themselves form the narrative,” explained the head of design Rebecca Hawkins who was responsible for the striking creations that I was trying desperately hard to avoid spilling coffee over. “If you’re going to invest in jewellery,” she confides, “invest in coloured diamonds. They’re rare now, but only going to become more so.” While I’d respectfully receive any of the pieces that adorned the table, it was the exquisite light yellow Ashoka diamonds that made me realise there was something missing from my life. What could be more cheerful this springtime than a sorbet-coloured rock? It won’t wilt and doesn’t even matter if I forget to water it. Sold.

‘Mosaic’ necklace with an exquisite light yellow Ashoka diamond of more than 12 carats at its centre, surrounded by white Ashoka diamonds.